Usefulness of M-Devices in Education: A Survey

Abstract

With the advent of globalization, there has been an explosion of information in all walks of life. Various electronic gadgets have been developed to access the information. Till recently, information could be retrieved only through desktops, either at working place or homes or libraries. But now the scenario has undergone a complete change. Mobile devices are increasingly being used for obtaining information. Conveying informational content through mobile phones, smart phones, i-pods, photo frames, and personal digital assistants like palmtop is known as m- learning. There have been various m learning initiatives in India. Almost every sector has been benefited from the use of m-learning, and perhaps the areas having biggest impact are education, agriculture and healthcare. Mobile technology and applications have the widest reach among students. Which means that education can be imparted to unreached segments—in some traditional societies it could mean the women, or those who are differently-abled, or the one who because of any reason cannot go for class room studying. The mobile has almost ubiquitous reach. The present study is based on the survey among the undergraduate students. The usefulness is described by various parameters like availability, cost effectiveness, ease of use, and ease of handling and speed of retrieval. The results are consistent with the upcoming trend.